Tag Archives: Some Day Or One Day

Robin N 2:12 pm on April 15, 2020
Tags: Alice Ke, Greg Han, , , , , Patrick Shih, Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Some Day Or One Day, , Xiao Yan, Zhang Guang Chen, Zhang Yunlong   

If I Keep Starting New Shows How Will I Ever Finish Any?

Or, “I’m going crazy with my viewing list and greedy watching habits (and I don’t mind one damn bit)!” Mood: Unrepentant.

Is it really a problem if you’re watching over 8 different dramas at the same time? For me, it’s definitely the right thing right now. I’m going to paraphrase the (highly sexist) King Mongkut from “The King and I” and describe it like this: “Because it is natural. It is like old Siamese saying. A girl drama is like a blossom, with honey for just one man any viewer. A man is I am like a honey bee and (that will) gather all she can. To fly from blossom to blossom a honey must be free.”

This means that I’m sipping a lot of honey! Like the delicious Tale of Nokdu, with Jang Dong-yoon a surprisingly effective kkot-minam (flower boy) hiding out from assassins with Kim So-hyun in a village for widows. I’m halfway thru and it’s entertaining and a feast for the eyes. What’s not to love about that mix?

When I want something fluffier (yes, even fluffier than that, because: assassins), I turn to My Roommate Is A Detective for a dose of Republican(ish) era mystery/comedy and Zhang Yunlong (yes, I know Hu Yitian is the main lead, but really, watch an episode and you’ll know what I’m talking about!) The cases are fairly lightweight, the tone puts me in mind of Tientsin Mystic in some ways, and it’s fun to watch them work around Shanghai Film Park (ah, the nostalgia!)

When I’m looking for something more thought-provoking I turn on another episode of the too-short (13 episodes) Some Day Or One Day which happens to be the first Taiwanese drama in a while, and it’s very good. It’s a very clever blend of mystery, transmigration, loss and love and friendship. I’m parceling out each episode because I don’t want it to end.

I’ve started Sleuth Of the Ming Dynasty but it’s not a sure thing I’ll continue with it at this time as it’s tonally similar in a case-solving episodic, young genius, hot police muscle-type partner (albeit different time period) to Roommate. Maybe later?

After all, there’s the new drama coming out with Lee Min-ho, and Hyena has uploaded all of its episodes and oh yes, there’s a new police drama AND period drama with Wang Kai! I’m most interested in the former, Hunting. Can you blame me?

And these are just a few (really) of the shows I’m watching! Like I always say, “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t!” Or, sometimes you feel like a Joseon cutie, sometimes you feel like a brainteaser, sometimes you feel like fluff, and so on.

On a site note for our writers, I’ve uploaded a number of show images for current and upcoming dramas to illustrate your posts, so remember to check out the media gallery for options 🙂

#alice-ke, #greg-han, #hu-yitian, #jang-dong-yoon, #kim-so-hyun, #my-roommate-is-a-detective, #patrick-shih, #sleuth-of-the-ming-dynasty, #some-day-or-one-day, #tale-of-nokdu, #xiao-yan, #zhang-guang-chen, #zhang-yunlong

Robin N 2:03 pm on April 1, 2020
Tags: , Day and Night, Dear My Ex, , , Some Day Or One Day, , , XX   

Dramas and Choices in these strange times

Hello everyone; yes, I’m still here! But I confess to being all over the place when it comes to choosing the things to do, whether it’s things I should be doing, or want to be doing (or even can do) — in other words, pretty much like everyone else! This has resulted in me suffering from a rash of completion issues, to the detriment of posting and updating posts on this site. I definitely need to have someone take a chancla to me (perhaps).

What have I been doing? Well, I was still obsessed with Joy of Life, so much so that I found the source webnovel and inhaled all 746 chapters (which I figure has to be equivalent to about 3500 pages). It’s massive, yes, but I didn’t regret a single moment. I often found myself holding my breath as I was reading — is reading apnea a thing? It just might be! I particularly enjoyed comparing how the novel was adapted to the small screen — a long, spoilery post will follow for those who have not seen the series (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?) — and contemplating how they will adapt the balance of the novel.

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This led me to reading a totally OTT BL webnovel (smut galore) that too was over 700 chapters! I might add that The Untamed still won’t let me go, so let’s just add in the source novel as well as pages and pages of fanfics for that. Not gonna lie, I’m more than a little obsessed with that series and its cast. (cough* Xiao Zhan), so sue me, I have eyes, don’t I? I even watched Xiao Zhan’s scenes in the forgettable and cheesy Oh! My Emperor (just because), his movie Jade Dynasty, and I’ll probably watch Fights Break Sphere too (bonus: little Fei Liu from Nirvana In Fire, Leo Wu is the lead).

I am watching dramas too, but haven’t been motivated to write about them, and that’s no reflection on their quality because if I’m finishing them and enjoying them, particularly XX, aka Dear My Ex, a short, 5-episode gem available on Kocowa (maybe Viki too). How can you not love a drama featuring a cocktail maker who names a drink “Adios, bitch” for her frenemy? I’m starting a lot of dramas and liking them, which means that hopefully I will finish them. I like Tale of Nokdu and My Roommate Is a Detective, so far, but nothing is making me lose sleep over them the way that reading those novels has. There are some dramas, like the Taiwanese short (13 episodes) time-travel(ish) Some Day Or One Day and the Chinese murder mystery Day and Night that I’m watching that fit this slow-watching mood; they are mood pieces or too gritty for big doses.

I am hopeful that a crop of new dramas will scratch that itch, but I’d like them to get a little closer to being completely finished on air, namely Hyena, Hospital Playlist, Rugal, I’ll Come to You when the Weather Is Nice, and so on — and let’s not forget Lee Min-ho’s new one coming up!

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Which brings me to Crash Landing On You. I’m on “stalled” right now and I’m not exactly sure why. I like it well enough, plot-wise. I find Hyun Bin as ever easy on the eyes. But it’s just not what I’m pressing “play” on at the moment. I have 3 other in-progress dramas that I was watching when all the news starting getting grimmer and grimmer and I’ve yet to return to any of them. It’s like they’re infected somehow too and I’ve put them into a viewing quarantine. I plan to finish them, but time will tell.

Let’s hope we all have the chance to finish the things we want to do, and spend our days doing things that are meaningful and that bring us comfort. Take very good care of yourself and your loved ones, my friends, and here’s hoping that things improve soon!

 

#crash-landing-on-you, #day-and-night, #dear-my-ex, #joy-of-life, #my-roommate-is-a-detective, #some-day-or-one-day, #tale-of-nokdu, #the-untamed, #xx